Electric semaphore signal



April s 1926.

W. J. MCDONNELL ELECTRIC SEMPHORE SIGNAL Filed J u1y 29, 1918 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lp llllmllm f Y*r11/1111111 una '1111111111 um. f

April s, 1926. y 1,579,877 w. J. McDoNNE-LL ELECTRIC SEMAPHORE SIGNAL Filed July 29, 191g 2 sheets-sheet 2 I al, n I 33 31 'IIH 3353 4. \r\ w v lnala of. which the following a specifica@y apparatus,k preferably ofV theV seinapliore,V

type, wherein theisignaling instrnine'ntali-gy ties inay `be exposedfto the View :of thefobef-J d v Figi? is v[a Vertical sectional View `through the :controller.'` Y

L PatentedrApr. 1926.y i

ELECTRIC [sEMiiPHoaE spieluhr..-

v NELIJ, a citizen 0f the United States, residing l atMattoon, in the countyfof' Coles-and State of Illinois, have'invented new and useful Improvements. in lillectric:` Sernaphore Sig-` tion. Y Y i This invention relate'sfto-.certain novel and l useful' improvements in,` signaling appaia-v tus, and has particular application tof electrically operated'signals of the semaphore .typh I i 'y' WAS is Well known, lfor military@r naval,

signal flags, lanterns or other snitableinstrumentalities;y the 'message being' .spelled out or defined by resorting tothe 'use ,of regular or 'determined ,code oif`.signals, the,

position in which kthe signaling"instrnnien` tality, or instruincntalitiesis held, iiidiv eatingV a selected` letter, number., .Word ror;l

phrase asftlie case may be. 1 ,Usually-the' sigf naling instrumentalities are ,niannallyf op-Q erated, and as the kperson signaling must' e .n

' casing With ythe attached-jor pivoted flag arinsf *f necessarily occupy a more or less exposed position in order thatv hisy signaling rin-` strnnientalities, whether flag or lantern,-

inayV be seen by .theobserver to kWhorn he*174 y is .sending the message, the dangerand risk" V4of being Wounded or killed during batt-le,v

oron an active lighting front, is obvious.)

One yof thef'pnrposes of niy invention;y

therefore is the provision of a signalingV server or receiverfwhilefthe Voperator or sender :may occupyfa position of conceal-j "nientzand coniparativefsafety, as' Within the vshelterjofa trench, 4dugout o-r other place.l f

Another object of my inventiony is the provision of a signaling yapparatus'iof thisy type wherein the" signaling instrumentali-r ties, either. flag or lantern, are `electrically controlled and operated,A so that not only may the messages be .sent With greateryspeed andaccuracy/ than when the signaling` iiistruineiitalities are inanually operatedfbut the muscular strainand consequentphysical field, andvother purposes,- .vit isthe practice #to transinitinessages through the agency of geisoia similar nature'fin View, in'yfinven- .tion "consists in kthe" construction, coinbina- 'y -lt is alsoniyfpurpose tofpiovide4 an elec-v tricfseinaphore signaling apparatus which inay 'loe readily and speedily assembled and f dismantled, A` and vwhich niay `be loperated' roin a reinotefor distant stationorpoint.

' fl also aiin to provide' a signaling appaf ratus which Will einbody the desired features of .siinplicityfy eliic-iency andjreliability,

relatively loivvcost.`

- i- W'itii the above recited objects andiothtion andfarfrangeinentof partsset fort-h 1in FICE;

` Weariness incident "toi long continued. sig,A p f v naling by handffi's avoided.`v

andfalling Within tlielscope ofthe appended 5 clainis.Y

Qlnfthe accompanying drawings e l. Fig. l isa perspectiveView!ofan assembled lapparatns'embodyinginy invention and showing-the nse *of semaphore flagl arins.v`

1Fig-2 is a top planfview of thesolenoid isa verticalsectional View taken through the casing.

,Fig. Il is av longi'tiidinal sectional View, taken through aportion ofthe casingl and, showing thev enclosed solenoids 1 andy the rack and pinion operating iiiechanisin of oneiof; 'theiiagarins,y f

sov

Fig, 5 isla plan `view/fotone of thefjunc#` tion'plates forv the solenoidwires.

l,6' ist aplan yiewf offitlie` controller.

Staken Siisa'ztliagraininatic illustration 'o'f r4the Wiringoffiny signal. f

a Fig. 9is a topfplanyiew'rof va inodiiied forni" of semaphore' showing. the' flag arinsr provided vWith "lanipsi i I l Referring tubular standard in which telescopes the tubular, removable post 3, which may be fastened adjustably Vby means of the set screw 4, as will be readily understood. At the upper end of the post 3 is removably mounted the casing B. This casing, which may be of any desired shape or form and made of any suitable material, maybe sx` cured to the post 3 by screwing thethreaded nipple 5 on to the threaded" end r(lof the post, the nipple being attached to the bot tom of the casing by means of the clamp 7 which is screwed as at Sto vthe bottom .of the casing. The central portion of the bottom `f-.all'of the casing` is' cut out to receive the junction plate 9 of insulating'material, 4.this junction plate 9 being superposed upon and in contact with a similar insulated junction plate 10, which rests in the dished head 11 held to the casing by the clamp 7 and from which dished bead 'the nipple 5 depends. The purpose of` these junction plates will be hereafter apparent.

Wlithin the casing are positioned two solenoids S and T, which are similar in con struction and operation, the solenoid S being employed in the operation of the flag arm C, while the solenoid T is for the 4flag larm D. Each solenoid consists, in the presentA instance, of eight'coils 12 of standard magnet wire, the size and number of turns beine' determined by the voltage adopted. They coilsare insulated from each other by mica washers 13 and are mounted upon brass tubing 14. Each solenoid is provided with a sliding core or plunger 15, the outer end of which terminates in a rack bar 16 working in roller .bearings 17 mounted near .the end of the casing. The teeth 4of each rack bar engagewith a gear pinion 18 mounted on the shaft 19 journaled transversely of the casing, one end of the shaft projecting through the adjacent side wall of thel casing and having adjustably fastened thereon by means ofthe set screw 20, a s0cket'21 which carries the flag arm. rThus the flag arm may be removed from its shaft 19 when t-heapparatus is being dismantled. Project-ing from each end of the casingis a sleeve 22 which forms a housing for the outer portion of the adjacent rack bar.

The controller is indicated as an entirety by the letter E and embodies a suitable box in which the electric battery is disposed, the battery being'indicated` diagrammatically and conventionally at X in S. vMounted upon the battery'boi is the controller box F, the top of which has imposed thereon the indicator dial 23 containing the characters, such as letters and numbers and words, making` up the signal code, or used in the formation' of 'the message. Concentric' with and surrounded by the indicator dialis a circular rack 24 over which moves the indicator handle or pointer 25 mounted to turn with the shaft 26, which extends through the sleeve 27 located interiorly of the box. This indicator dial carries the usual spring pressed pin 28 soclieted in the lrnob 29, the pin being adapted to engage wit-h and be held by the teethof the rack 24, the handle being provided with the usual arrow head pointer. 30. The lower end of the shaft 26 is .fastened with and carries a bloclr 31 of insulated material, this block of course turning` k withthe rotation of the shaft. To the under-side of this block is fastened a contact ring-32 against which bears the spring contact arm 33. This spring contact arm 33, which forms a terminal of the positive feed wirc'34 leading ,from the battery, is con-- nected as at 35 to an insulation ring 36 `which surrounds the block 31 and carries an outer ring of contact pla-tes 37 and an inner ring of contact plates 33, the outer ring of the contact plates being connected with the coils of the solenoid. controlling the left hand flag arm C, while the plates of the inner ring 33 are connected with the coils of the solenoid T controlling the right hand flag. arm D. lt will be noted by reference to the diagrammatic View of Fig. 8, thatthe two rings of the contact plates each bear numbers from 1 to 8, thus corresponding to the eight coils of each solenoid, and that eaclirnuinbered plate is connected through a conductor 39 with a correspondingly numbered coil of its solenoid, and it will be further noted that as there are more than eight plates to a ring, certain numbered plates being duplicated. For instance, in the outer ring,'we find the No. 2 appears on four plates, but in each instance, these plates are allconnected to the No. 2 coilsof the solenoid, likewise on the inner ring of plates, we find the No. 3 repeated four times, but these No. 3 plates are all connected'with the No. 3 coils of the solenoids. The rings of the contact plates are arranged to correspond with the code indicated on the dial of Fig. 6.

The block 31 turning with the shaft 2G, carries aA pair of contact brushes 40 and 41, adapted to bear against the contact plates of the outer and inner rings 37 and 33 respectively, these contact brushes of course being connected with the plate 32 through conducting screws 42. lWhen the handle or pointer is turned. for instance, to the position shown in Figs. G and 7, to move the two flag' arms of the solenoid to indicate the position of code character C3, the brushes 40 and 41 will rest` upon the two contact plates of the rings 37 and 38 which will lie in radial alinement with and directly below the character C3, and form a part of the circuit of this ycode sign C3. The current passing from the battery X through the switch Y, closed at thaty time, will pass along through the feed conductor 34 to the spring contact arm `Baring 32nd-screws coils are thus energized, and the current passes through these coilsfto thereturn con"- ductors '43 of the coils, and which returnV conductors are connected with a common *re-.l

turnV wire 44 connected to the Vcentral contact pin 45, carried by the plate 9 which pin -45 movably contactswith the contact .socket i v yVhile I lhave herein shownand described 46 to which is connected the common return cable 44,forniing a continuation of thereturn cable 44, this cable 44V leading back to the battery. The various kconductor wires extending between the controller andthe semaphore easing B, are madev up into fa multiple-strand, properly insulated' cable" 47, which leady up through the hollow y:posts supporting the casing'B, the feed conductors branching ofi' 'in the dished head l1 fastened to the bottom of the casing, as shown at 48,

and are connected to their respective contact sockets 4 9, `which seat Contact screws or pinsy 50, and to which are connected the sections of the feed conductor wires `leadingto the, coils.l I employ the two plates 9 .and l0 with the removably-associated contact members, so that in the packing or dismantling of the apparatus, the'casing B with its solenoid coils, may beseparated from the con- Y ductor cable 47, and the casing may be .re-L moved from the hollow post section Sby r loosening the latch land sliding the plate 1l sidewise out of the clamp 7 as will bek readily understood-by reference to Fig. ,1.

yI have briefly described one arrangement of the electric wiring for energizing'the described, ythe combination withV a casing,L

solenoids, but it will .be understood that the wiring arrangeinentvinay be varied to suit the particularapparatus, orthe particular conditions under'which it is to be workech It will be apparent, thatwhenthe handle o-r pointer 25 is swungy toa desired position,y

for instance, so'as toindicate Csas shown in Fig. 6, one coil of the solenoid Sand one coil ofthe solenoid'jT will be energized, and 5 thefcores or plungers of thesolenod'willbe shifted a predetermined distance, and .this shifting of therrcores or plungers will cause the turning of thev gear wheels 18, byv the rack sectionsld of the plunger,-of'course, axially aligned solenoids,y armatures longithus moving the flag arms C and D tothe' desired position to indicate the particular be moved to such a position as to indica to the observer such codesy'mbol;

In Fig. 9 I have shown a slightly modified i arrangement of the invention which mayv beused at night, or where it is desired to signalr by means of a lamp, and in this in-` scopey of the appended claims# `stance,"theflag'arms C and D. "are provided i 42 tothe contact brushes 4() and 4l, and l thence through the .two respective and proper conductorsl 39 leading tothe corre-k sponding coi-ls of the solenoid.v The twoU with electric lamps '5U and *w 1 respectively,v

cuit, but'tliis lamp of kcourse isstationary and: simply facts as a guide or indicator. The lamps of the arms andthe central lamp maybe wirediin any ordinary and well- 1 knownmanner.

one particular` embodiment of my invention, I wish it Vtov begunderstood that I do not confine fi'iiyself tol all the precise details of construction herein set lforth by way of, illustration, as modification and' variation may loe-made ,without departing fromjthe spirit of the invention oreXceeding the What I claim is: l

el. A semaphore `signaling apparatus for ytransmitting messages by selected combinationsvof positions of semaphore arms, comtwo signal indicating positions, electrical means fory operating jthe semaphore arms,

and a manually operable controlling means i for controlling the ,said electrical meansto no prising a casing,` twofoppositely directed K produce a variety of combinations of signal indications of said'arms for the transmission of messages. i f

2. In a signaling apparatus of the class of a semaphore arm pivotally connected therewith,- a rack andgear mechanism connected with saidarm, a multiple step sole- Y noid ,associated with; the rack andi gear mechanism and adapt-ed'tovivactuate the lat-V ter, and electrical means for selectively energizing a `predeterminedy port-ion of theA solenoid to positionsaid arm in any one ofmore than' two predetermined positions, in-` cluding a controller and, electrical connections between the controller land `the soleno-id.-' j r 3."In a signaling apparatus, two sets of }`oredetermined positions by rselective operation of Vsolenoids of both sides.

4. A Vsemaphore signaling apparatus for transmitting messages byv selected combinations of positions of semaphore arms7 comvp rising a `casing carrying a pair .of semaphone arms, each mom-ble selectively into any of more than .two Signal indicating positions@ two sets of axially aligned solenoids in said Casing, one for each signaling arm, 5 an armature connected to a signaling umn longitudinally'movable in each solenoid set, und' :i controlli-ng means for energizing the said solenoids vto produce a variety of coni- Y binutions o1c signal indications of said arms WALTER J. yiviCDoNNELL. 

